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Get a DUI attorney. that is the most effective advice you can follow if you have been arrested for drunk driving. If you're thinking of headed off to court, charged with driving under the influence (DUI) without a DUI lawyer on your side, think again. There are some arguments that people will offer you telling to not get a DUI attorney, the chief of that being that you simply cannot really afford a DUI attorney. however the reality is, you can not afford to not have a DUI lawyer.

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Being served with an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) for your domestic violence case might surely make you lose your temper (especially when you are wrongfully convicted of the offense), but something that your should remember at such times is that an EPO is a valid court order, violating which might result in further penalties. So, anger, which is one letter short of danger (quite literally) isn’t a favourable response in such a situation.

An EPO (which is often referred by different terms, like, restraining orders, protection orders, no contact orders, mandatory restraining orders, etc.) is basically a court order which is served upon the arrestee and mandates that the arrested person stays away from the protected person (which might include his wife, family, home, children, personal belongings, etc.) for several days at a stretch.

This order is issued in order to allow the protected person to stay away from the violence and give them some time so that they can handle the situation without any fear. It is a short term order, normally valid for 5 to 10 days.

Violation of an EPO could be punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1000 fine. Moreover, it could also affect your bail or the ultimate resolution of your case. If you violate this order while you are out on bail and the court finds this out, you will most likely be taken back into custody and your bail could be drastically increased or even denied.

If you are issued this order, then make sure you comply with its terms and do not go against any of its terms or rules at any cost or under any circumstance, whatsoever.

Make sure you stay away from the protected person and do not make any contact with them (which includes face-to-face contact, telephonic contact, electronic contact, or even through a third person). If it is absolutely necessary to make contact with them, then you should do so only through your domestic violence defense attorney or your attorney’s representative.

This order could take one of these two forms:

i) It could either be a “full stay away order”, which would require the convict to not make any contact with the protected person.

ii) Or, it could be a “do not harass/annoy/molest order”, which would allow the convict to have peaceful contact with the protected person, but he is still subject to the order. He cannot do anything to upset or annoy the protected person or he might get arrested and filed with new criminal charges.

This order (which is generally considered a short term temporary order) likely remains in place during the pendency of a case. In some cases, it could even extend to several months until the case resolves.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

“Convictions are more dangerous enemies or truth than lies.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and an innocent man is not. But, many a times, it so happens that innocent people get accused of crimes they haven’t committed, which is quite sad. Because, even though it might be possible for you to drop the wrong charges by proving so in the court, the consequences start following you right at the beginning, i.e, way before you could prove it otherwise.

Some of the consequences and penalties of a domestic violence conviction in the state of Colorado include issuing of restraining orders, issuing of protection orders, a mandatory arrest, need to attend domestic violence treatment programs or counseling, house arrest, loss of parental rights, loss of employment opportunities, deportation, cancellation of gun rights, payment of fines, supervised on no-supervised probation, and inability to get your record expunged or sealed, among others.

It is said that decisions determine destiny. You are only one decision away from a totally different life. If you have already made a decision to hire a domestic violence defense attorney for your DV charges, here’s something to help you select the best possible domestic violence defense attorney:

See how experienced the attorney is. Because experience determines knowledge. And, obviously, you’re looking for a knowledgeable attorney, aren’t you?

Next, you should consider the attorney’s style of communication because believe it or now, this is going to be the most dominant factor that will decide your experience with him. Try to choose an attorney that has an open style of communication and not the one that doesn’t seem much interested in listening to you or your concerns.

The background of a person determines his credibility. In order to understand the credibility of your attorney, you can take a look at his work portfolio, the kind of projects he had handled, his certifications & awards, and the reviews & testimonials given to him by actual clients.

Also, carefully consider the policies that the attorney follows.

Last, but definitely not the least, consider your budget constrains and do not consider an overly expensive attorney as a better choice.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Juvenile charges in the state of Colorado are not taken lightly and the consequences that come with such charges are proof for the same. Take a look at some of them:

The juvenile offender will most probably lose all or most of his driving privileges if he is involved in a traffic related offense.

He might be required to reside in a foster home for a varying period of time. Or he might be detained in a juvenile rehabilitation center.

Psychological evaluation will be conducted of the offender, based on which he might be required to attend certain counselling programs, treatments, and classes.

Also, he might be put under probation for which he will have to pay a fee as well. This will obviously be in addition to the fines and fees that the offender will need to pay.

Moreover, the juvenile offender will have to repay the victim for some relief.

Difficulty or inability in taking admissions in good reputed educational institutes

Problems might arise in getting jobs, especially in the government sector.

Here are a few facts to make you a little more aware of juvenile laws of Colorado:

The minimum age before a juvenile can be charged in Colorado’s juvenile court system is ten years of age.

If a juvenile is charged in a juvenile court case, then he will not have any absolute right to bail. If your child has been accused of a juvenile offense. Then a juvenile defense attorney might assist you further in this and help you get your child released with a bail bond.

When a minor (a person who is less than 18 years of age) is charged with a crime, he is considered a juvenile and is treated differently than an adult. His punishments are also different than that of an adult. But insome rare scenarios of certain qualifying crimes, a juvenile might be prosecuted as an adult. In such a scenario, he might be given a life sentence as well.

An experienced juvenile defense attorney who has handled thousands of juvenile defense cases and is specially qualified to represent children can provide effective legal representation in juvenile court. He will further suggest the best possible ways to get the criminal record of juveniles expunged or sealed. Moreover, he will be able to assist you and give you all essential information regarding juvenile laws of Colorado.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Felony offenses are serious, even if committed by juveniles. They carry dire consequences, such as:

Detention

Counseling

Heavy fines and fees

Psychologically evaluation

Anger management programs

Loss of driving privileges

Residing in a foster home

Here are a few mistakes that you should make sure your as well as your accused child avoids that could make your child’s case weak:

Do not assume that all evidence that has been recorded against your child is not prone to any error. Each piece of evidence should be reviewed properly in order to determine whether there are any leaks or errors in the recorded pieces of evidence. A professional juvenile criminal defense attorney can take care of such things as he is well-trained and experienced in doing such things.

Letting any police officer speak to your child will only result in further troubles. A police officer or an investigating officer might even get your innocent child to admit to crimes that he hasn’t actually committed. Do not let your child speak to anyone without the presence of you or your defense attorney or both. Make him understand the bad consequences if he speaks with them without your or your attorney’s presence. Further, make him understand that he has the right to remain silent on any misleading or ambiguous or confusing questions asked by any of the officers at any point in time. In such a case, he should politely request the presence of the attorney or you or both.

There could be instances when your child’t school disciplinary proceedings could get extremely unfair, to a point that it can become threatening or fearful or abusive to your child. In such a case, you need not be afraid of your child’s school, neither should you support any such behaviors of the school. Immediately seek the help of your defense attorney, he will assist you well in such scenarios.

If your child is accused of a felony offense, chances are that he might get arrested and put in jail. In such a scenario, you shouldn’t let everything just go with the flow and rather, seek the temporary release of your child by filing a bail plea. For this, you would be required to submit a number of documents, all of which your defense attorney can handle well.

Do not make the mistake of hiring the most expensive defense attorney, thinking of him as the most skilled one. The things that you should consider while hiring a defense attorney include their policies, communication style, experience, skills, testimonials, etc.

Hiring the least expensive defense attorney would also be a mistake that you shouldn’t make. The least expensive attorney would definitely not be the one that will prove to be the most economical. The least expensive defense attorney or the ones that charge too low do not handle serious felony charges and often do not take things seriously since they mostly handle misdemeanor charges.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Are you someone who has been wrongfully handed a traffic ticket for no fault of yours? Being upset or having your blood boil over it would obviously do you no good. And if you think arguing with the officer who handed you the ticket would be of any use, then, leave alone someone else telling you that it wouldn’t, your own conscience would tell you that. Rather, it could additionally make the officer lose his cool and put further charges on you towards creating a hindrance in letting him perform his duty.

Being wrongfully convicted of an offense that you have not committed is surely upsetting, but there are proper legal ways you can fight them. So, dealing with them immaturely could make your case weak. Here are some ways you can effortlessly fight a wrongful traffic ticket:

First of all, you should make a note of these things:

The type of the officer’s vehicle, the license plate and the unit number of the officer’s vehicle, the location where you were stopped, the traffic conditions of that place and time, the weather conditions, the clothes you were wearing, and all other possible details which the officer would not have paid attention to.

Be aware of your right to a speedy trial and make sure you exercise it. Do not waive your right to a speedy trial on being asked the same by the court. The court might convince you that waiving it off might give the court more time to understand and settle the case properly, but only consider waiving off this right if you or your attorney needs more time to prepare for the case or else, giving up on this right could hurt your case in many ways.

Hire an experienced traffic ticket attorney to understand all possible options that you have to fight your wrongful conviction. You can at least consult an attorney for the same. Most of the defense attorneys offer a free consultation session when you hire them. Since he is a professional, he understands the legal system in much more depth than you could ever. He can present compelling reasons to get your ticket reduced or entirely dropped. Further, he can save a lot of your valuable time by handling the complex and lengthy procedures that would be a part of your case. Most importantly, he will make you aware of your rights and also ensure help you exercise them.

Do not think of giving up and paying the fine just to get done with it and escape the long procedures. If you decide to do so, remember that you are unknowingly accepting being guilty of the offense that you have not even committed. Further, there would be points added to your driving license (that would stay there forever) which could make a lot of things difficult for you.

Monday, December 4, 2017

If you are convicted of a serious DUI charge in the state of Colorado, you would understand well that the problem with drinking and driving is the mourning after. You must have realized your mistake and promised to never repeat it. But what should you do about your current charges? Have you been feeling lost in all the long and complex court procedures that are being followed? Then, you may want to read this.

First and foremost, hire an experienced DUI defense attorney who could represent you in the court, determine whether the investigating or arresting officers have made any mistakes or violated any of your rights, identify flaws in the recorded evidence against you, and make you aware of your rights in order to minimize the consequences and penalties that you might have to face.

Further, remember these 6 absolutely essential points:

Do not give any official statement or speak to any officer until your criminal defense attorney is present with you.

Do not try to convince your prosecutor in your favor or even speak to him without your defense lawyer being present there.

It might be possible that you had very less amount of alcohol (up to the limit which is considered legal), but being a layman, you wouldn’t know such details. One thing you should, however, remember is to never assume that you are guilty of your charge and admit it.

Do not rely on the advice of your friend, relative or any other person other than a professional criminal defense attorney. Free advices are far different from professional counseling and you will realize this once you speak to a defense attorney.

One more thing to never assume is to think that police officers or arresting officers are perfect people and they wouldn’t make any flaws. Because in reality, they do. A smart defense lawyer can easily identify such flaws.

One big mistake you could commit is by resisting your arrest as this is considered as a charge of its own and could be later on, used against you.

Friday, November 3, 2017

There are some mistakes that cannot be undone. So are the consequences that follow them. Isn’t is better to be aware of such mistakes? Rather than realize them after committing, when the only option we are left with is to regret and not be able to do anything about it.

If you or any of your closed ones have been charged with a DUI conviction, then here are some mistakes that people commit and themselves make their cases weak. Avoid them at all costs:

Giving any official statements, lying, saying anything incriminating (like admitting that you have been drinking alcohol), or answering the questions of police officers without your lawyer being present is a mistake you definitely must avoid at all costs. Resist talking too much with them.

Not hiring an experienced attorney to defend your charges or delaying to hire an attorney could be a fatal mistake. Have an attorney work on your case as soon as possible.

Failing to appear at your court hearings, being late to them, or even being improperly dressed while your hearings is also a serious mistake you wouldn’t want to make.

Another big mistake you could make is to assume that you are guilty of your charges. Pleading guilty or accepting a plea bargain without speaking to an attorney just for the sake of getting done with the legal complexities would only invite more trouble.

Doing a field sobriety test when you know you won’t pass it would be a blunder because it would later be used against you and there aren’t any consequences if you refuse to do this test.

Relying on the free advice of your friends, relatives, colleagues, or anyone other than your lawyer is also a mistake you wouldn’t want to make

Trying to convince a prosecutor or talking to him without the presence of your attorney would also be a fault om your part, which could make your case weak.

Assuming that the police or the arresting officer has made no mistakes is something which every one of us does. But it is very common for them to commit errors, which only a criminal defense attorney can identify and use against them.

Another major blunder you could commit is to forget your rights, be ignorant of them, or not exercise them. You should also evaluate or challenge potential violations to your constitutional fourth amendment rights in order to protect them.

Not complying with your state’s laws would be another fault of yours.

Another instance in which you could go wrong is when you assume that a high BAC level means that the case is undefendable. Get your blood retested by an independent forensic laboratory. Further, preserve all the evidence in your DUI case properly.

Not understanding the long-term dangers or consequences of a DUI conviction and taking it lightly would be one big mistake you could regret later in your life.

One more blunder which no one seems to be aware of is to resist an arrest. It is so common to see people resisting their arrest, no one seems to be aware of the fact that resisting an arrest is in itself a charge and can be used against the defendant to show that he or she is guilty of the other charge that he or she is convicted of.

Allowing the police officer to search your car would be another mistake. Police officers do not have the right to legally search your vehicle unless you allow them to. So, it is better to refuse such searches, which could further land you in more trouble.

Lastly, save yourself from committing the big blunder of driving even after your license has been revoked.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

“Your rights matter, because you never know when you’re going to need them.” - Edward Snowden

The consequences that follow criminal charges in Colorado are deadly and the ones accused of criminal offenses have to face a number of penalties. But there are certain rights that they can exercise. However, only a few are aware of them.

These are some of the rights that criminal defendants have in Colorado:

The first and foremost right that they have is to hire a criminal defense attorney to represent them so that they have a fair trial.

The defendant has the right to remain silent. He isn’t required to give or sign any official statement without the presence of his or her defense attorney because his statement might be used against him later in the case.

He has the right to be treated as innocent and right to a fair treatment unless proven guilty. So, he must be treated with respect throughout the case proceedings.

The criminal defendant has the right to refuse to get himself searched without the presence of his or her defense lawyer.

He can also refuse to be detained in case he gets accused of shoplifting charges. Further, he shouldn’t be confined to a small space and should be free to move as he likes.

He has the right to a due process in the proper preservation of evidence.

Moreover, he has the right to not incriminate himself.

Any plea that the criminal defendant makes must be voluntary and not under any kind of influence or force.

If the offense is bailable, then the defendant also has the right to bail.

He has the right to demand and receive a preliminary hearing in order to ascertain the nature and cause of the accusation within a reasonable time so that it is determined whether any probable cause exists to believe that the offense charged was committed by him.

He has the right to meet the witnesses against him face to face and also to question witness’ suitability for a probable cause. Further, he also has the right to process to compel the attendance of witnesses in his behalf.

He has the right to a speedy public trial (i.e within 6 months from entry of “not guilty” plea) by an impartial jury of the county or district in which the offense is alleged to have been committed.

Monday, September 11, 2017

“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does- that makes you a winner right there.” -Venus Williams

When you’re handed a traffic ticket for absolutely no fault of yours, feeling helpless and frustrated would be common. And with that frustrated mind, you might just want to pay the fine and get done with it. However, you must remember that the moment you decide to pay the fine, you automatically plead guilty to your charge (meaning that you have accepted your charge). You surely don’t want that, do you?

When you haven’t committed an offense, then you wouldn’t want to accept having committed it, would you? Giving up is easier than fighting back. But having a little courage to fight back your false charges won’t go in vain. Be very assured of that.

What I am going to say next would be right what might be there on your mind for a long time.

If you plead “not guilty” on your traffic ticket, you must have had thoughts like “what if your defense suffers due to any kind of procedural delay?”. Well, why should your defense have to suffer due to any procedural or government delay? Right?

This is why the right to a speedy trial exists. To prevent defendants who plead “not guilty” from delayed justice. It provides them the right to a court trial within a specific time period. In Colorado, the time limit for the court trial is within 6 months of entering the “not guilty” plea. Had this right not existed, the trial could go on for years before getting justice to the defendant.

However, in many cases, it is seen that the courts try tricking the defendants to give up or “waive” this right since it gives them flexibility in setting the trial dates according to their convenience.

Here’s how you can save yourself from giving up this right:

Generally, the court asks this question in a leading and indirect manner, which often cannot be understood by a layman and thus, defendants, in their nervousness, end up responding to the question with a “yes” (meaning that they give up their right to a speedy trial).Only an expert traffic ticket attorney can understand it and respond to it in the right manner.

If you are pleading “not guilty” and are without an attorney representing you, then on being asked any question related to the waiving time for the trial, you should clearly answer that you plead not guilty to all allegations and do not waive your right to a speedy trial.

Don’t let the judge convince you to give up this right by making you understand how it will allow the court to work properly around their schedule and this could be beneficial to you.

Do not be afraid or nervous to ask any kind of questions if you feel uncertain or doubtful about anything.

Hire a professional attorney who can protect this right, along with many others (which you might not even be aware of) and help you exercise them at appropriate times.

Only if the defendant wants more time to prepare his defense should he give up this right. Or if the evidence collected isn’t good enough. Otherwise, giving up this right could hurt the defendants in ways more than one.

Friday, August 25, 2017

We don’t like getting flashbacks of things from our past that we don’t ever want to remember, do we? People do not deserve to be judged by their past, simply because they don’t live in the past anymore. Judging someone is never considered good, but if you really must judge someone, judge them by who they are in the present, not by who they were in the past.

For the same reason, a person aspiring for a job or a financial service, or while purchasing a particular product or a service shouldn’t be checked for his criminal history. But the bad news is that they do get checked for their criminal backgrounds. And the good news is that your criminal records can be sealed in order to make them unavailable throughout the state.

Once your criminal record is fully expunged, you have no legal or ethical duty to disclose it to anyone. And if someone ever asks whether you were involved in any criminal offense ever, you can simply answer them with a “no”.

Some Places And Situations Where Criminal-Background Checks Happen

Employers (private and government both) run criminal-background checks on candidates prior to offering them jobs. People with criminal backgrounds find it hard to apply for any jobs if their criminal records aren’t expunged since the basic eligibility criteria for almost all jobs require that the candidate shouldn’t have a criminal background.

While offering financial services (like loans, advances, insurance, etc.) to people, banks, and other financial institutions run criminal-background checks on them. Thus, it becomes next to impossible for people to get loans, advances, and other financial services.

While purchasing arms and ammunition, people are checked for any possible criminal backgrounds and are right away denied making these purchases, if their criminal background isn’t found clean.

Applying for a professional license (certification or qualification to perform a job or a task) also requires a thorough criminal-background check. And if it isn’t found clean, a person can be refused the license.

Finding a house can seem impossible if you do not have a clean criminal record. Property owners and managers can refuse to offer housing services to you on this basis.

Want to get your criminal records expunged?

To save yourself from getting stuck in such situations which require performing a criminal-background check on you, an expert criminal defense attorney can assist in sealing all your criminal records in order to make them unavailable throughout the state. With this, you wouldn’t be required to carry your criminal history forever with you.